Personally:
.243 Hornady 58 grain superperformance V-max.
(And yes, I have a moderator on the .243, and shoot off quad sticks).
What other people might choose to use I have no idea.
Shot placement
- Thread starter Foxyboy43
- Start date
Personally:
.243 Hornady 58 grain superperformance V-max.
(And yes, I have a moderator on the .243, and shoot off quad sticks).
What other people might choose to use I have no idea.
Heym SR20
Well-Known Member
With a head shot the heart keeps pumping until it too runs out of oxygenated blood. There is a very large volume of blood going up to the brain. Best bullet for head shooting is a rapidly expanding varmint type bullet - you want maximum damage so that even if you are a touch off you break all the blood vessels. Such a bullet though is not so good for body shots (if needed) on red deer.
I use an unmoderated .270 with 130, .223 with 55 grain, and .308 with 165 grain. All softpoints. I shoot off drystone walls, sticks, binocular bag, etc. I don't necessarily prioritise head and neck shots, but if the shot's on, it's on.
I had a neck shot play out quite strangely on one occasion though, and on retrospect it was a shot I shouldn't have taken. It was a roebuck at around 150 yards off sticks, and I fully expected the buck to drop on the spot. It merely walked off into cover though. I was so convinced it was a miss that I decided there and then that I must've knocked the zero off. I walked over to check the site anyway, and found nothing to indicate a hit. On a complete hunch, I walked a couple of yards into the cover and saw a splash of clone. That turned into another, and fifty yards later there was my buck, dead on the ground. I'd obviously missed the spine.
That served as a lesson, and I've never taken a chance on a marginal neck shot since!
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Wait till you stick a dead neck shot deer and the bottom half tries to run away not knowing what is going on at the top
Not really for me
Dunwaters
Well-Known Member
You don’t have to hang them up, the heart is undamaged and will pump the blood out for you.Cheers for the replies lads .-)
Ok, yep, if you hang them quickly, or lie them on a hill, head downwards, it makes sense that they bleed out well, i guess.-)
Just out of curiosity, which cartridges do you use when head shooting, typically, and do you use a surpressor with that? Just thinking that recoil needs to be fairly minimal, and the rest very stable, when making such shots.
Calibre is pretty much immaterial, anything from a.22 hornet up will do once you can shoot it. I’m using.270 and 6.5 now, but used the.22/250 for a long time
Yep. Been there, that’s why I don’t like it unless it’s the only option.
Scipio
Well-Known Member
Hello mate, and once more thanks for answering
Yeah, I forgot the heart has somewhat autonomic stimulation of its muscular contraction, and I guess this can keep the heart pumping even after a CNS shut down
As for cartridge used, and possible suppressor too, I was more trying to understand how Little recoil vs cartridge size was generally preferred for head shots, (Besides how stable ones position is too of course, the range and the type of bullet used).
Dunwaters
Well-Known Member
You need to be careful about the terms and conditions. With a reasonably powerful rifle and a soft bullet a centre head area hit that misses the brain will still kill. Drop down to a .22 LR and you need to hit the brain.Hello mate, and once more thanks for answering
Yeah, I forgot the heart has somewhat autonomic stimulation of its muscular contraction, and I guess this can keep the heart pumping even after a CNS shut down
As for cartridge used, and possible suppressor too, I was more trying to understand how Little recoil vs cartridge size was generally preferred for head shots, (Besides how stable ones position is too of course, the range and the type of bullet used).
It’s the same thing with a neck shot, a reasonably powerful round with a soft bullet will kill with a near miss on the spine, a hard bullet low down in the neck needs to hit bone.
More power and the right bullet gives a bit more margin for error, but only up to a point….or we’d all have a .600 Nitro express Use whatever you are comfortable with. I killed a lot of animals with the.22/250, there’s nothing easier to use, just point and squirt out to 200M or so, but that’s what made me a neck shooter. Had I used something else I might recommend different shot placement.
I now have access to any cartridge I like and I still prefer to pop them in the neck, I guess I must be incorrigible.
This comes up time and time again. Shoot them where you are comfortable shooting them knowing that you need to deal with the aftermath.
I prefer to chest shoot however will take head and high neck in the right circumstances (right for me will not be right for others).
I prefer to chest shoot however will take head and high neck in the right circumstances (right for me will not be right for others).
I did the same across the water but applied rules. Within 100 yds of forestry neck or head shoot. More than that a 55gr bullet behind the shoulder stopped them before reaching cover. This applied to Reds? (Very few true Reds), Sika and Hybrids. Never lost one out of a big number. 22/250 more than adequate just as a 220 Swift or the old 65x54 Mannlicher on this side was.
Dunwaters
Well-Known Member
We both learned the same lessons.
I found that the bullet wouldn’t exit reliably with any placement and the tiny little entry hole didn’t allow much leakage so a stag in the trees was often a lost deer. The bullets were very destructive, clip the shoulders and throw the front away.
I had similar experience with the .243, then finally came to Jesus and got a .270.
You are now in the grip of the devil's spawn. The .243 is adequate with the right bullet but a 7x57 would be a better choice than the horrible .270. You should have used a different pellet in the .22/250 I had exit holes with the hilar shots and rib shots. A friend even used the .22 Hornet.We both learned the same lessons.
I found that the bullet wouldn’t exit reliably with any placement and the tiny little entry hole didn’t allow much leakage so a stag in the trees was often a lost deer. The bullets were very destructive, clip the shoulders and throw the front away.
I had similar experience with the .243, then finally came to Jesus and got a .270.
Jesus said "let there be light ......." but alas in the cave there was no light and hence the .270 was born. After moving back to rocks and spears as a more sensible alternative ... the 6.5 Creed was invented and "there was light" (along with a massive increase in male grooming products)We both learned the same lessons.
I found that the bullet wouldn’t exit reliably with any placement and the tiny little entry hole didn’t allow much leakage so a stag in the trees was often a lost deer. The bullets were very destructive, clip the shoulders and throw the front away.
I had similar experience with the .243, then finally came to Jesus and got a .270.
Jesus said "let there be light ......." but alas in the cave there was no light and hence the .270 was born. After moving back to rocks and spears as a more sensible alternative ... the 6.5 Creed was invented and "there was light" (along with a massive increase in male grooming products)
Norfolk Deer Search
Well-Known Member
Norfolk Deer Search
Well-Known Member
My old Ruger 270 would chew up and spit out your rainbowJesus said "let there be light ......." but alas in the cave there was no light and hence the .270 was born. After moving back to rocks and spears as a more sensible alternative ... the 6.5 Creed was invented and "there was light" (along with a massive increase in male grooming products)
spout she wouldn’t stomach to swallow 
by the time you’ve figured out if you deer was dead my old bus would have shot 3 more and be looking for a 4th Long live the 270 and
the queermoor 
Norfolk Deer Search
Well-Known Member
Get to the back of the que 308 is only just ahead of the man bun gunErr, could I just point out the title (and purpose) of this thread chaps?
Chamberings and male coiffure are outwith this discussion; anyhow the .308 is the best…
7x57 as the lady said "There is no alternative".
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